ELECTRONICS
17recyclinginternational.com | January/February | 2020
pany, which processes nearly 23
tonnes of metal each month at its site
in Charlotte, North Carolina, can make
a meaningful contribution to the
e-cycling sector.
Almost perfect purity
What makes the difference is a pat-
ented solution specifically developed
to tackle PCBs. It is able to quickly
dissolve the plastics, leaving intact
the gold-bearing integrated circuit
chips, connectors and other precious
metal-bearing components. These
can be refined into ‘premium quality’
fractions with a guaranteed 99.9%
purity. This includes gold, silver,
platinum, palladium as well as
copper.
‘We completely avoid shredding or
using harsh chemicals,’ Jegou
explains, adding that AGR relies
instead on a water-soluble solution
that can be reused and recycled
unlimited times. The process is ‘highly
scalable’ and requires a much lower
capital investment compared to stan-
dard pyro-metallurgical recovery
methods because the equipment
takes up much less space. It also
means that sending scrap overseas for
smelting could become a thing of the
past.
‘Additionally, you have the certainty
that the precious metals are conflict-
free,’ the ceo notes. ‘I really believe
our approach has the power to
change – or, more accurately, disrupt
– the recycling industry.’
pcBs of the future
‘PCBs made up around 8% of the 50
million tonnes of electronic waste gen-
erated last year,’ Jack Herring tells
Recycling International at the E-Waste
World Expo in Frankfurt. That’s partly
due to strong sales in the smartphone
segment with 1.65 billion handhelds
sold worldwide in 2018. Eager to
boost metals recovery from PCBs,
Herring launched Jiva Materials in
2017.
The new company, which is based in
London, has gained publicity thanks
to Herring’s innovation recyclable
Soluboard PCB. He explains that
metal recovery from traditional PCBs
is possible only after shredding and
incinerating the fibreglass-epoxy unit.
‘With Soluboard, a patent-pending
material, we offer a flax-based prod-
uct that is competitively priced, free
of toxins and fully biodegradable, that
delaminates in less than 30 seconds
when immersed in hot water. Basically,
the organic structure of Soluboard
allows for the easy removal of compo-
nents while the flax fibres can be com-
posted or repurposed.’
Removing e-scrap plastics from the
equation could notably boost metals
recovery. Ultimately, Jiva Materials
wants to work with large PCB produc-
ers and sell Soluboards directly to
manufacturers of electrical lighting
circuits. Herring and his business
partner Dr Jonathan Swanston say
achieving this will ‘rebuild the elec-
Fotobijschrift
KAderKop
??
Jack Herring and Dr Jonathan Swanston of Jiva
Materials proudly displayed their Soluboard solution.
16-17-18-19-20-21_escrap-frankfurt.indd 17 15-01-20 14:25
